Drug-eluting vascular grafts for replacing diseased blood vessels

Doctor Kieran Lau, The University of Sydney

Postdoctoral Fellowship

Years funded: 2025 - 2026

Creating a vascular graft that will support vascular regeneration in diseased blood vessels

Currently, there are no effective long-term treatments for diseased small-diameter blood vessels (< 6 mm inner diameter) in the event of severe narrowing or blockages, as they typically fail within a few years. This can lead to several life-threatening incidents such as peripheral artery failure, resulting in a significant rate of amputation or coronary artery failure leading to a heart attack (myocardial infarction).

Many small-diameter synthetic vascular grafts in the research stage fail at clinical testing stage due to the inability to recapitulate the complex biological signals present upon implantation using the material alone. Biomimetic vascular grafts can be used as a blood vessel substitute at the site of defect, act as a temporary scaffold and provide bioactive signals to guide the regrowth of a patent native blood vessel.

To successfully promote small-diameter blood vessel regeneration, it is vital to be able to deliver the right biological cues at the right time of the regeneration process. In this project, Dr. Kieran Lau, a biomedical engineer at the University of Sydney, is further advancing existing, promising vascular grafts towards creating the next generation of biomimetic vascular grafts. Through this, a vascular graft that will support pro-healing, anti-inflammatory vascular regeneration will be created towards the treatment of diseased small-diameter blood vessels.